What's the Difference?
by Kyuunen
Summary: Zell can make a girl happy, Selphie says, but he's not Irvine. Zell challenges the meaning of her words and honest feelings tumble out of the shadows. Zelphie.


Disclaimer: First and foremost, I relinquish any thoughts that I own the fictitious people and places mentioned in this piece of fiction. The basic story and phrasing of situations is mine, however.  
  
A/N: Before I start my comments on this fic, I would just like to apologize to those who wanted to see some of my other fics updated. Don't worry, I'm still working. It's just taking longer than expected. Anyway, this fic is a Zelphie. I find them to be a more appealing couple than Selphie and Irvine. Truthfully, I think it's just Irvine that bugs me. His lame guns'n'women line? Ugh. Sorry to all you Irvine fans, he's just not for me.  
  
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What's the Difference? by KyuuketsukiShounen  
  
The sun was rising and the crickets chirped, welcoming the new day. Students and teachers alike at Balamb Garden were waking up to prepare for the little happenings of the morning. But for two people, the day had already begun. The two were friends, good ones. Some attributed it to the time they had spent together and some to the simple fact that they just fit together. And still some claimed that they were just mutually in love with coffee, which leads to nicknames sometimes whispered behind their backs accompanied by hushed giggles.  
  
The tranquil sunrise was interspersed with gentle breezes swishing through the long grasses of the plains of Balamb. And then, the tranquility shattered.  
  
"Zell!" A girlish voice pierced the air like a pungent smell. "Why did you do that?"  
  
"Oh, c'mon!" The voice's companion said in reply. "It's just one flower, Selphie!"  
  
Oh yes, it was they who had broken the magic of nature's peace. The both of them were reclined on the grass, resting against an old oak tree.  
  
"Still! One flower dead, is one too many!"  
  
"Tch. There'll be plenty of other flowers to replace this one." He quickly lowered his voice and stroked the bright yellow petals absent-mindedly while looking into the tiny creation of nature, speaking to himself rather than Selphie. "Maybe I'll give it to someone I care for."  
  
The girl figured her mouth into a wry smile. "Oh, and who would that be, your mother?"  
  
The boy faltered for a second before feebly arguing with a "N-n-no."  
  
Noticing her friend's embarrassment, Selphie raised her head up and looked aside, to the one who laid with her. "Wait just one second! Were you really going to give it to your mother?" His furious blush answered her question. His embarrassment was of little consequence as she sat up and gushed at him. "You're so sweet! A girl would be lucky to have you!"  
  
He sat up with her and bashfully scratched the back of his head, absorbing the praise like a sponge. "Do you really think so?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"Like, as happy as you are with Irvine?"  
  
"..."  
  
She didn't know what to say. She knew he wanted her to say 'Of course, yes!'. But something troubled her about that question. Could he make a girl as happy as she was with Irvine? Somehow, it felt wrong to say yes, though she had complete faith in him. She just knew that-  
  
"It's different." "Whaddya mean 'it's different'?" He seemed to recoil as though she had slapped him in the face.  
  
"It...it..." she faltered, gesturing with her hands as though they would help her convey what even she didn't consciously know she was thinking. "It's just different!"  
  
"Tell me how!" he insisted. She didn't notice the twinge of jealousy that now appeared in his voice and as a faint redness in his cheeks.  
  
She sighed in resign. "You two are just different people. That's all!"  
  
And still, he pressed on. "Hey, what does he do that is so different?"  
  
"Well," she perused the disorganized mess of knowledge she kept stuffed inside the closet of her mind. "How about his clothes?"  
  
"Tch. So he can wear dead cow skins and be ready if we're ambushed by a rodeo. I could do that."  
  
Selphie was taken aback by that comment. She had never heard Zell talk about one of his own friends that way. Zell himself was a bit shocked, too. Why was he suddenly so fixed on beating Irvine at this little game? Selphie quickly recovered by fronting another suggestion.  
  
"What about how he talks?"  
  
"'Geez! That sounds tough,'" Zell mimicked Irvine's voice. He could do everything Irvine could, he was sure of it!  
  
Selphie wavered. His impression did sound awfully like Irvine. What was it that Zell couldn't- she had it!  
  
"What about how Irvine kisses, hmm?"  
  
Zell watched her mouth crack into a triumphant smile. Oh, but if she knew. The battle was not yet won.  
  
"Well there's only way to test that, right?"  
  
Thus, he pounced upon her and that was the first time their lips met. And it was oh-so-wrong, but his arms were oh-so-warm, and the moment seemed oh- so-good, but it was oh-so-wrong, but she tasted oh-so-sweet, and her heart jumped oh-so-slightly, and it was oh-so-wrong, but it felt oh-so...so right.  
  
They pulled away from each other in a sudden lapse of shyness. They both felt awkward, they both felt guilty, and still they both felt a little glad. She felt dizzy and her heart was beating so fast and she had to pretend she didn't know why. Yes, he was different from Irvine, he was better! She sprang up, dazed and confused and ran back to Garden, sputtering that she was supposed to meet someone for breakfast.  
  
He watched her go. He didn't stop her. He was a bit confused himself. But he knew what was true; he wouldn't deny it. And he smiled.  
  
The breeze came by and blew something up against his leg, tickling it. He looked down to see it. That bright yellow flower. "A flower for someone I care for," he said longingly. "Selphie," he whispered, "this is for you." And with that, he tossed the flower into the wind.  
  
A bright yellow flower, dancing in the sun.  
  
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Closing Comments: I hope you all liked that! And don't worry, I don't dislike Irvine that much. Sometimes I've even found cause to defend him. Well, my aim was to try to write a Zelphie that didn't ignore Selphie and Irvine's obvious relationship. I also wanted to avoid as much as possible, the demonizing of Irvine that some writers of Zelphie do. Though it would make it more simple if Irvine were horrible, he's not. Also, you may wonder why I think Selphie and Zell make a good couple. Well, I'm one of the people that doesn't think that Selphie is way too hyper, nor Zell over-energized himself. That's kind of odd, because I'm a really mellow person. Well, anyway, I don't think the two would go crazy and bounce around the way some authors might depict it. Although I agree that they aren't hyper, I agree that they are both very lively, giving them some common ground. I had actually suspected something between the two during the Timber train mission, but soon after they went to Galbadia Garden and Irvine comes to ruin the whole thing (just kidding).  
  
Well, review if you have any comments. 


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